Shelby Kuni made it look easy. After 90 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of overtime, Kuni took a pass from freshman Jocelyn Charette and scored the winning goal just 21 seconds into the second overtime against Saint Leo University.
Kuni’s second goal of the day sealed the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship for the Spartans. Samantha Robinson, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and SSC second-team All-Conference player, recorded an assist for her pass to Charette on the play.
After falling behind by two goals just 12 minutes into the match, the Spartans rallied on Kara Rasmussen’s 20th minute goal. In the 37th minute, Kuni scored the tying goal on a penalty kick after Robinson was fouled inside the 20-yard box.
“All year we’ve practiced for all situations. We haven’t been down two goals in years, but we’ve been prepared for it. This team has a no-quit attitude, no matter the situation,” said coach Bobby Johnston.
Robinson gave UT the lead in the 51st minute on an unassisted goal. Her shot deflected off of Saint Leo’s Kristen Preseault and past the goalie for the Spartans’ third goal of the day.
The Lions came back late in the second period, tying the score at three on a goal by Bridget Godwin. Godwin split the UT defense and took a pass from Hannah Beard and Sara Macko.
Towards the end of the second period and into the overtime, emotions overcame many players. Five yellow cards were issued, with two coming in the last 10 minutes of regulation. Tampa was whistled for 23 fouls while Saint Leo only committed 15.
“The girls are comfortable at home. They are proud to play on the field and play at UT. The fans were great again,” added Johnston.
The win gives Tampa its second consecutive SSC Tournament Championship. Their last win came in 2004, as the 2005 Tournament was cancelled due to rain from Hurricane Wilma.
Robinson, Nicole Murphy, Shelby Kuni, Malana Winskas, Kara Rasmussen and Shannon Aitken were named to the All-Tournament team for their outstanding play in the contests.
“They are all well-deserving of the All-Tournament honors, as are the eight players on the All-Conference teams,” said Johnston.
Against Florida Tech in the tournament semifinals, Tampa was unable to score in either overtime. The match went to a penalty kick shootout. Due to the strong winds on the field, the teams shot into the north goal.
Kuni took the first shot for UT and easily put it past the keeper. Shannon Aitken blocked Rocio Hernandez’s attempt to give Tampa a 1-0 lead in the shootout. Courtney Evans put the second attempt past the goalie and Teresa Brantley scored for the Panthers. Samantha Robinson put another one past Florida Tech goalkeeper Melissa Pyles.
Aitken’s save of Miranda Tessier’s attempt gave Tampa the chance to win the game with their fourth shootout goal. Danielle Celmer, who only played 38 minutes in the game, nailed the clinching goal to send the Spartans to the finals.
The NCAA Tournament South Regional will be held at the University of Tampa and starts Friday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. UT plays Nova Southeastern University, who they previously beat 2-0. “Nova is a tough opponent. They played Saint Leo very hard and only lost 1-0. We aren’t overlooking them at all,” commented Johnston.